{"id":13539,"date":"2025-09-18T18:56:21","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T13:56:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/?p=13539"},"modified":"2025-09-18T18:56:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-18T13:56:21","slug":"most-cordial-talks-with-saudi-crown-prince-covered-regional-challenges-bilateral-cooperation-pm-shehbaz","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/?p=13539","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Most cordial talks\u2019 with Saudi crown prince covered regional challenges, bilateral cooperation: PM Shehbaz"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A day after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark mutual defence agreement<\/a> during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s visit to Riyadh, the premier on Thursday expressed gratitude for the \u201cheart-warming welcome\u201d given to him in the Gulf State and shared that his talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman covered regional challenges, as well as enhancing bilateral cooperation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PM Shehbaz reached Riyadh for a day-long visit yesterday where he and Crown Prince Salman signed the \u2019Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement\u2019 at the Al-Yamamah Palace in the Saudi capital.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDeeply touched by the heart warming welcome, accorded to me by my dear brother HRH (His Royal Highness) Prince Mohammed bin Salman, crown prince and prime minister of Saudi Arabia, on my official visit to Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cFrom the unprecedented escort provided to my aircraft by the Royal Saudi air force jets to the smartly turned out guard of the Saudi armed forces, this welcome reception speaks volumes about the abiding love and mutual respect between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia,\u201d he said in a post on X.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The premier shared that his \u201cmost cordial talks\u201d with the crown prince covered a wide range of issues, reviewing regional challenges and enhancing bilateral cooperation\u201c.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI deeply admire HRH\u2019s vision and leadership that he provides to the Muslim world,\u201d he said, adding that on the bilateral front, he \u201cgreatly values\u201d the Saudi crown prince\u2019s \u201cconsistent support and his keen interest\u201d in expanding Saudi investments, trade and business ties between Islamabad and Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt is my fervent prayer that Pakistan [and] Saudi Arabia\u2019s friendship continues to flourish and attain new heights of glory. Inshallah! (God willing),\u201d PM Shehbaz said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

PM Shehbaz left for London today after concluding his visit to Riyadh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Defence agreement<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia have long shared a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance<\/a> and energy supplies<\/a>, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil<\/a> for Islamabad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wednesday\u2019s agreement marks the most significant upgrade in Pakistan-Saudi defence ties in decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The announcement was made in a joint statement by Islamabad and Riyadh. The statement said the pact \u201creflects the shared commitment of both nations to enhance their security and to achieve security and peace in the region and the world\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c[It] aims to develop aspects of defence cooperation between the two countries and strengthen joint deterrence against any aggression,\u201d the statement said, without going into details.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Importantly, the text underscored that \u201cany aggression against either country shall be considered an aggression against both\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The timing of the accord, coming on the heels of an Arab summit<\/a> that signalled a shift towards collective security \u2014 in the wake of Israel\u2019s attack<\/a> on Qatar \u2014 hints that it is rooted in current world affairs and reflects the defence concerns of both countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Official Saudi media outlets also carried reports of the signing ceremony, but they offered no further details about the accord or its provisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cooperation between the two states in the area of defence dates back to 1967 and deepened after the 1979 Grand Mosque seizure<\/a>, when Pakistani special forces helped Saudi troops reclaim Masjid al-Haram.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1982, the two sides institutionalised security ties through a Bilateral Security Cooperation Agreement that enabled Pakistani training, advisory support and deployments on Saudi soil. At times, as many as 20,000 Pakistani troops were stationed in the kingdom, and Saudi Arabia became a key purchaser of Pakistani-made arms.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Currently the number of Pakistani soldiers deployed in the kingdom is estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,000 troops, providing operational, technical and training help to the Saudi military, according to a Reuters<\/em> report. That includes assistance to the Saudi air and land forces, the report said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, the partnership has gained urgency amid regional instability. In February, a meeting of the Joint Military Cooperation Committee in Riyadh pledged to expand training and exchanges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The new pact formalises commitments that had long existed in practice, creating what some analysts saw as a de facto joint defensive umbrella though finer details of the agreement were not made public.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Pakistan, the agreement offers both strategic and economic benefits. It secures vital Saudi investment and funding at a time of fiscal strain, while reinforcing Islamabad\u2019s standing as a pan-Islamic security provider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Saudi Arabia, it strengthens defences against threats from Iran, Houthi militias and regional turbulence caused by Israel\u2019s genocidal actions in Gaza and aggression against other countries in the neighbourhood. The Israeli attack targeting Hamas delegation in Doha heightened the urgency for this agreement that had been under discussion for some time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan\u2019s earlier defence alignments, such as Cold War-era agreements with the United States and those under Seato and Cento, have long since eroded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, Islamabad\u2019s partnerships with China, Turkey and other Gulf states remain important but lack binding mutual defence clauses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Against this backdrop, Wednesday\u2019s signing represents Pakistan\u2019s most consequential formal defence commitment in decades, tying its security role inextricably to the evolving strategic architecture of the Gulf.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a>Question of nuclear weapons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Asked whether Pakistan would now be obliged to provide Saudi Arabia with a nuclear umbrella, a senior Saudi official told Reuters<\/em>: \u201cThis is a comprehensive defensive agreement that encompasses all military means.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The agreement was the culmination of years of discussions, the Saudi official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said when asked about the timing of the deal. \u201cThis is not a response to specific countries or specific events but an institutionalisation of long-standing and deep cooperation between our two countries,\u201d the official added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pakistan has previously maintained that its nuclear weapons are only aimed, as a deterrent, against India, and its missiles are designed with a range to hit anywhere to its east in India.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The senior Saudi official acknowledged the need to balance relations with Pakistan and India, also a nuclear power.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur relationship with India is more robust than it has ever been. We will continue to grow this relationship and seek to contribute to regional peace whichever way we can.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

A day after Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed a landmark mutual defence agreement during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif\u2019s visit to Riyadh, the premier on Thursday expressed gratitude for the \u201cheart-warming welcome\u201d given to him in the Gulf State and shared that his talks with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Salman covered regional challenges, as well as enhancing […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13545,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","inline_featured_image":false,"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3859443944190656_798604363342440":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-13539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13539"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13539\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13546,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13539\/revisions\/13546"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13545"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pakjazbo.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}